Method of manufacturing decorated sheet material



F. SLUSHER March 6, 1934.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING DECORATED SHEET MATERIA Filed Jan. 9, 1933 Rank 5/05 Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES METHOD OF MANUFACTURING DECORATED SHEET MATERIAL Frank Slusher, Akron, Goodrich Company, ration of New York Ohio, assignor to The B. F. New York, N. Y., a corpo- Application January 9, 1933, Serial No. 650,759

6 Claims.

This invention relates to methods of manufacturing decorated sheet material such as floor and wall coverings comprising vulcanized rubber.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide accuracy and efliciency in procedure and to produce an attractive article in imitation of ile.

Other objects will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a transfer sheet of inextensible material carrying a design element, showing the sheet as partly separated into sections.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a mold showing sections of the transfer sheet bearing designs partly in place therein a sheet of plastic backing applied thereto.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the finished decorated material with the inextensible transfer sections partly removed therefrom.

Referring to Y the drawing, in practicing the invention I provide a mold for holding the design elements in proper relation in forming the article, said mold comprising a recessed bottom plate 10 and a cover plate 11 which may be aligned therewith by means of dowel pins 12 and corresponding dowel holes 13. .Plate 10 is formed to provide a main cavity 14 having the shape and area of the desired decorated sheet. The bottom of the cavity 14 is additionally recessed to provide a plurality of design-element locating sub-cavities 15, 16, 17, 18 separated by channel-forming partitions 31, 32 of any desired configuration, those shown in the drawing being parallel to the sides of the cavity 14 and equally spaced therefrom.

One or more transfer sheets 20 of inextensible nonadhesive material, such as paper, holland cloth, or other material is provided with a removable deposit of rubber from solutions or dispersions of colored rubber compound in one or more colors either by spraying, printing, painting, or dipping. Where blocks of mottled or speckled material are desired this conveniently may be accomplished by spraying one or more colors of rubber dispersion over the surface of the sheet and allowing the deposited material to dry thereon. By the use of a stencil the spraying may be confined to certain areas such as the area 21a of the sheet.

The sheet material 20 bearing the removable rubber design material 21 may now be accurately cut as along lines 22, 23, 24 and 25 to provide strips of the material which may be recut to provide sections 26 having the shape and size of and also showing part of (or. 41 s3) certain of the sub-cavities sheet material having the same design in other colors, or of different design may be similarly divided to provide contrasting blocks or sections 27 to fit other sub-cavities 15, 17 of the mold.

The decorated in the desired arrangement with their decorated faces toward the cavity 14 where they may be inspected as to arrangement and for faulty workmanship before being combined in the finished article, to prevent waste of material through errors in arrangement or the use of-imperfect design elements.

A sheet of plastic material 28, such as unvulcanized rubber compound, having a volume slightly in excess of the cavity 14 and the unfilled portion's of cavities 15, 16, 17 and 18, is now laid in cavity 14 and the cover plate 11 is placed thereon. The mold is now subjected toheat and pressure, as between the heated platens of a hydraulic press, to unite the deposited rubber to the plastic material and vulcanize the same while molding the plastic material to provide exposed stripes of the plastic material between the design sections. a

The vulcanized sheet of material 29 is now removed from the mold and the inextensible sheet material 20 removed therefrom. The deposited rubber design is integrally united to the'backing material in the desired arrangement and provides an inlaid design having decided wearing properties.

made slightly deeper than'the sheetmaterial 20 the partitions 31 and 32 form grooves or channels 30 between the design elements which give the finished article the appearance of tile. Where the backing material is made of a color contrasting with the material of the deposits, the backing material, being exposed at these channels, simulates the appearance of cement between'the tiles.

While the design elements have been represented as squares, it will be apparent that they may be of any desired shape, number and arrangement, to provide the desired design, it being possible by this method to produce complicated designs simulating mosaic tile work.

I claim:

1. The method of making a decorated sheet of material which comprises forming decorative rubber designs on inextensible, removable transfer sheets, arranging the sheets in a mold according to a predetermined arrangement, superimposing an unvulcanized backinglayer of plastic composections are placed in the molds 1s, 18. other similar Where the sub-cavities 15, 16, 17, and 18 are ing by heat 2. The meth material which co her designs on an the inextensibl ing the sections so i ion to each other,

tions, an'ang in spaced relat an unvulcanized ba sition thereon, and

and pressure.

d oi making a decor 3. The metho ated sheet 01 ranging sections mold in spaced r posing a backin thereon, and uniting the designs while mol under the influ 4. The metho material which co posit upon transfer elation to each ic composition astic composition and ding channels therebetween heat and pressure.

d of making a. decorated sheet of mprises spraying a rubb sheet material, arranging secthe designs and backtions of the transfer material in spaced relation in amold, superimposing thereon a plastic backing, and uniting the deposit to the backing by heat and pressure.

5. The method of making a decorated sheet of material which comprises spraying a rubber deposit upon transfer sheet material, arranging sections of the transfer material in a mold with different sections similarly formed to provide an ornamental design, applying a p i a ki thereto, and uniting the deposits to the backing by heat and pressure.

6. The method of making a decorated sheet of material which comprises spraying a rubber deposit upon a removable inextensible transfer sheet, dividing the sheet and its deposit to form design sections, arrangin the sections in a mold in spaced relation to each other, applying a backing of plastic material thereto, and uniting the designs and the backing by heat and pressure while molding the plastic material to form channels between the sections.

SLUSHER. 

